A site survey is the installer’s check of your home before they give you a firm quote. They look at your consumer unit and main fuse, the earthing arrangement, the route the cable will take and where the charger will sit — and those things decide whether your job is a standard installation or needs extra work first. Some installers survey in person, others from photos and a video call; the checks are the same, and nothing is fitted on the day.
Key Takeaways
- A site survey checks four things: consumer unit, main fuse, earthing and cable route.
- Its outcome decides whether your quote is a standard installation or includes extra works.
- Extra works — a dedicated unit, a fuse upgrade, an earth electrode — should be itemised on the quote.
- Your only jobs are access and information; all testing and judgement is the installer’s.
What the Installer Checks
| Check | What they are deciding |
|---|---|
| Consumer unit | Is there a spare way, is the board in good condition, and can it feed a continuous load? A 7.4 kW charger draws about 32 A for hours, and charging circuits are sized with headroom — in U.S. terms, the NEC treats EV charging as a continuous load, breaker at 125% of charger current. |
| Main fuse (cut-out) | Whether the incoming supply has room for the charger alongside everything else, or the network operator must upgrade the fuse first. |
| Earthing arrangement | Which protection design the installation needs. On a PME supply, the design must deal with a broken PEN conductor — via the charger’s built-in protection, an earth electrode or another permitted method. |
| Cable route | The distance from the board to the charger position, and what the run passes through — walls, floors, a garden. Route length and difficulty drive most non-standard quotes. |
| Charger position and parking | Where you park, and whether the cable reaches the car’s port comfortably. See whether an EV charger should be inside or outside the garage. |
| Signal for smart functions | Charge points covered by the UK Smart Charge Points Regulations need a data connection, so the installer checks the chosen spot has usable signal. |
The survey feeds into the work in our wallbox home charger installation guide: it tells the installer which version of that job your home needs.
The Three Possible Outcomes
- Standard installation confirmed. The board has room, the earthing is straightforward and the run is short. You get a firm quote — compare it against what a standard EV charger installation includes.
- Extra works first. Common findings are a dedicated consumer unit for the charger, a main fuse upgrade arranged with your distribution network operator (DNO), an earth electrode, or a long cable run. Each should be its own line on the quote.
- Notifications and permissions. Most UK installations must be notified to the DNO; the installer normally submits this and will flag at survey stage if your supply needs the network’s involvement first.
What It Costs You, and What to Have Ready
The survey itself is usually part of the quoting process; ask whether there is a fee if you decide not to proceed. For the visit, clear access to the consumer unit and the meter, know where you park each night, and have paperwork from earlier electrical work to hand. Opening the consumer unit and testing circuits are the installer’s job, never yours. If you are still deciding whether to install at all, can I install a Level 2 charger myself explains which parts are and are not DIY.
The Charger Decision Comes After the Survey
Charger choice is confirmed once the supply is known, because the survey sets the rating your home can feed. A unit like the EVDANCE EV-ACT3204PE 22 kW wallbox — three-phase, tethered Type 2 cable, RFID and app control, CE marked — suits a home whose supply supports it; on a smaller supply the charger is simply specified lower. Order after the survey, not before it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a site survey take?
It is a short visit of measuring, photographing and checking — no installation work happens. Remote surveys by photo and video call take similar time and cover the same list.
Can a survey be done without a visit?
Often, yes: clear photos of the consumer unit, meter and parking spot let the installer run the same checks. Expect a visit if the supply looks unusual, the board is old, or the cable route is complicated.
The survey says my board is too old. Is that a sales tactic?
It can be genuine: an old or full board may not safely feed a continuous 32 A load. Ask for the extra work itemised and, if in doubt, get a second survey — a legitimate finding will be repeated.
Related Reading
- Wallbox Home Charger Installation Guide 2026
- What Is a Standard EV Charger Installation?
- Can I Install a Level 2 Charger Myself?
- Should an EV Charger Be Inside or Outside the Garage?
